“And now a new cycle of horror begins”

For some Israelis, it seems like a dea vu. The country was in total quarantine during Passover, the Jewish holiday in April, when all manner of celebrations were absent. The Israeli government has now made, for the second time, the decision to ban the movement just hours before the start of the Jewish New Year, says Pie Doje.

The decision to reintroduce a travel ban has divided the nation. Under the new rules, Israelis can move a maximum of one kilometer from their homes. A long list of restrictions and exceptions was published on Thursday.

“The situation is absurd. There is no confidence in the decision of a new confinement,” says Anat Dreamer. She makes her last purchase in a market in Jerusalem. “Many are angry and confused at the same time. I was not well prepared. There was also no clear strategy to get out of quarantine last time. And now a new cycle of horror begins.”

The economy has yet to recover

Tanjug / AP Photo / Sebastian Scheiner

Anat Dreamer is an actress and has not had a job since the beginning of the pandemic. “I don’t know when we will be able to go back to work normally and if someone will take care of us. I have the impression that many things are done only because of political and religious pressure,” he said.

The Israeli economy has yet to recover from the first quarantine, that is. the state of emergency that was in March and April. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was praised by all sides for the way he reacted to the crisis and worked to combat the pandemic.

But since then, criticism of the government has grown: for months now, citizens have been protesting every week in front of the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem. The reason is its corruption scandal, but also the way the government reacts to the crisis in the crown.

During that time, hospital employees are running out of power. Israel is now among the countries with the highest number of infected. But as the number of new cases has continued to rise in recent weeks, ultra-Orthodox politicians, doctors, and decision-makers have only decided to regionally restrict nights out in cities and neighborhoods.

The government’s vague direction and leniency towards various interest groups have angered many citizens. President Reuven Rivlin acknowledged that the Israeli leadership had disappointed citizens. “I understand the feeling of confusion, insecurity and fear among many citizens. I understand and above all I want to apologize for that,” Rivlin said.

So far, 187,000 infected people have been registered in Israel, and in the previous days there will be 5,000 new infected people per day. 1,256 people died. Compared to figures for other countries, that trend seems small, but Israel has just nine million people.